Pilot Study of Low-dose Naltrexone for the Treatment of Chronic Pain Due to Arthritis: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Crossover Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) is commonly used to control pain and other symptoms, especially in patients with autoimmune diseases, but with limited evidence. This study tests the efficacy of LDN in reducing chronic pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory arthritis (IA), where existing approaches often fail to adequately control pain.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial, each patient received 4.

Small bowel obstruction by wireless enteroscopic capsule and unrecognized intestinal stricture.

The wireless enteroscopy capsule (WEC) was approved for noninvasive visualization of small bowel. We report an unusual case of a previously healthy man with history of bowel resection and anastomosis who developed small bowel obstruction after ingestion of a WCE. At operation, an anastomotic stricture site was noted and the WEC was proximal to this stricture, causing obstruction.

The role of sentinel lymph node mapping in staging of colon and rectal cancer.

Purpose: Nodal metastasis is the best predictor of survival for patients with colon cancer. Statistical models based on random distribution of positive lymph nodes suggest that to correctly classify nodal status with 95 percent confidence, 20 nodes are needed for T1 lesions, 17 nodes for T2, and 15 nodes for T3. The mean number of nodes identified in American patients is 8, suggesting that they might not be accurately staged.

Contemporary management of ankylosing spondylitis.

The comprehensive management of ankylosing spondylitis has both immediate and long-term objectives. The physician must first suppress the patient's articular discomfort and inflammation with NSAIDs, then begin long-range supportive measures such as postural training and daily exercise in order to prevent, delay, or correct deformity. Acute anterior uveitis and other systemic manifestations must be promptly recognized and treated, often with the help of specialists.

Sustained-release indomethacin in the management of the acute painful shoulder from bursitis and/or tendinitis.

Of all the forms of nonarticular rheumatism, by far the most common are bursitis and tendinitis. Yet, the bursae and neighboring tendon sheaths are the most neglected anatomic structures of the body. Moreover, like the joints, they are lined by synovial membrane, secrete synovial fluid, and are common sites of rheumatic problems.